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| The Roundhouse Twirl (Moore, Journal) |
That bill legalizing medical psilocybin passed the Senate and late yesterday the House did the same. The hallucinogenic is touted as a breakthrough therapy for depression but we remember it from the 70's as a sister to LSD, taken mostly to evoke kaleidoscopic images while listening to Bob Dylan lyrics or something.
Besides being unnecessary when there are already many legal pharmaceuticals available to treat depression, look at the past mismanagement of the state's medical marijuana program and now the bureaucratic bungling of legalized pot. The bill's sponsors say, don't worry, only limited use of psilocybin will be allowed. Okay, but the bottom line and our decidedly minority opinion is this: the last thing this drug-riddled state needs is more mind-altering drugs.
The bill establishing a Child Advocate to oversee the troubled Children, Youth and Families Department has been mostly de-fanged by lawmakers but a milquetoast version has reached the Governor who has been adamantly opposed to the measure but did support a late amendment. Clearly, she should sign it after erroneously claiming the bill is aimed at her and not at fixing CYFD. Sign the bill, Guv. It's not personal--just business.
Whatever happened to those sweeping bills that would give legislators full-time salaries and have the legislature meet year round? Nothing. Thankfully. (With apologies to Santa Fe legal mastermind Cliff Rees.)
Are they going to raise the royalty rate on oil pumped out of state lands from 20 to 25 percent to match the rate in Texas? Here's the broken record on that deal: Raising taxes on anything in this environment of economic challenges and immense surpluses should be a nonstarter--even for an industry as dreaded as oil is by the far left.
Missed at this session: For the umpteenth year in a row no legislator got up on the floor of either chamber and gave a rousing speech about the state's poor national rankings in education performance, violent crime rates, drug addiction etc. Local Chambers of Commerce are popping the prosecco in celebration. (Can Senate Leader Wirth let us do that speech and we promise to leave right after?)
Not missed at this session: Abortion arguments. Finally, they're over.
During the session there were no drunk driving arrests of legislators, no fights in bar parking lots and no senators introducing their out-of-wedlock child whose mother is a legislative staffer. In other words there was no scandal du jour in the 60 day session. Well, there's still a few days for someone to go off the rails. If not, we'll have to relive memories of Senator Pirtle.
FRED'S BENCH
Friends of former U.S. Senator Fred Harris of Corrales have created a unique memorial to him at the Barelas Coffee House in Albuquerque's South Valley. It is a Spanish Colonial style banco crafted by Rik Gonzales, Edward Lujan, Juanito Jimenez and Ted Martinez. Lujan, Jimenez and Martinez studied Spanish Colonial arts at El Rito with Gonzales.
The plate on the back of the bench reads:
In memory of Fred Harris -- Senator, Professor and Friend of the people.
The plaque with Fred's photo explains that Fred met regularly at the restaurant with friends who called themselves the Barelas Athletic Club. Barelas Coffee House owner Mike Gonzales took a political science course with Fred in 1978 and welcomed the idea of the memorial at his business.
It really is time for a stop at Barelas. Once the wind dies down, we'll have to get Sen. Campos and Valley politico Dan Serrano to join us for lunch and a look at Fred's Bench (and not because they usually pick up the tab.)
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